The House That Built Me
by FallenAngel218
Summary: After the events of the season 10 finale, Tim heads down to Clearwater, FL to fix up his father's vacation home for sale. What he finds when he gets there is someone he never thought he'd see again.
1. Chapter 1

The Thirsty Turtle was slow that night. It was a Tuesday, after all. Tony, Ziva and Tim sat quietly at a table. On an hour earlier, they were standing in Vance's office, setting their badges down on his desk. Now, unemployed, they all sat at their favorite bar, wondering what to do next.

Tony, as usual, was the first to break the ice. He'd always been good at that.

"Now what?" he said simply, taking a sip of his beer.

"This plan seemed better before we executed it," Ziva said. "Now, I am confused."

"We should at least try to keep ourselves occupied this summer. Who knows how long this is going to take to blow over."

"You assume it's going to blow over, Tony," Tim interjected. "What if it doesn't? What if we all just quit and ruined our careers in law enforcement forever?"

"We did it to protect Gibbs. He would have done the same for us."

"Ziva's right, Probie. And besides, It's not like any of us don't have marketable skills. We can all get jobs for a while to pay the bills."

"Actually, I was thinking of going back to Israel for a while," Ziva said, taking a sip of her drink. "I have not been home since my father's funeral, and I think it would be nice to spend a summer there again. I have not seen an entire summer in Israel since I was a child."

Tony squeezed her hand under the table. It wasn't as if they were hiding anything from Tim, but Tony preferred not to make it obvious.

"I was thinking I'd pick up coaching again. I had fun coaching youth basketball last summer. The Youth Center near my apartment does a summer league for school-aged kids. I wouldn't mind doing it again."

Tim smiled. It seemed both of his friends already had a plan for themselves this summer. He hadn't thought of a Plan B before he stepped into that office and laid down his badge. What was he going to do?

"What about you, Probie?"

Tim came back from his thoughts and looked across the table at Tony.

"I haven't given it much thought, I guess."

"Don't even think about sitting around your apartment all summer playing video games," Tony warned. "I'll drag your ass to the basketball court with me as an assistant coach."

"I'll pass, Tony. I suck at basketball."

"Well, what _are _you going to do with yourself all summer?"

Tim thought about it for a moment, and suddenly, an idea came to mind. It was something he'd been meaning to get done for a while, but never had the time.

"I think I'll go down to Florida. The Admiral has a summer home on Clearwater Beach. He left it to me when he died."

"All right! Party at McGee's house!" Tony shouted.

"I'm going down there to sell the house, Tony. I don't really need it, and I can't afford the extra expense of paying the mortgage on a home I'm probably never going to be in."

"Well that's lame," Tony said, finishing off his beer. "Are you planning on doing anything fun while you're down there, Probalicious?"

"At some point, yeah. My main focus will be prepping the house to go on the market. Once all the hard work is done, I can come back to DC and let the Realtor do the rest."

"I wish you luck in selling your father's home, McGee." Ziva said with a smile. She stood and picked up her coat. "I have to go home and start packing. My flight to Israel leaves in two days."

Tim got up and hugged Ziva tightly.

"Have a safe flight."

"Thank you, McGee. Travel safely to Florida."

Tim smiled as Ziva kissed him on the cheek. She said her goodbyes to Tony, which were a lot more personal, and all of them went their separate ways for the evening.

Tim drove home and made a beeline for his desk. He sat down and picked up a manila envelope he'd set there. In it was his father's will, and the paperwork for his father's summer home in Clearwater, FL. He bought the place when Tim was very young, and they spent a few summers there when his father was on extended leave. It'd be a shame to sell it, but he truly couldn't afford to pay his rent and a mortgage. It was too much.

He set down the envelope and went into his bedroom to start packing. He'd leave for Clearwater in the morning.

**TBC...**


	2. Chapter 2

The flight to Tampa was long and arduous. Tim was exhausted when he finally made it to baggage claim at Tampa International Airport. When his suitcase finally dropped down, he grabbed it as fast as he could and made for the airport exit as soon as possible.

The Tampa air was humid and sticky, and Tim instantly regretted his decision to wear pants that day. He hailed an airport cab and tiredly climbed into the backseat. He gave the address to the driver, and sat back.

The driver got onto Highway 60, and Tim looked out the window as they drove over Old Tampa Bay. He remembered arguing with his sister on this very highway about whether or not they were looking at the ocean. He grinned when he remembered his mother correcting Sarah, and scolding Tim for starting the argument.

Tim dozed off as they cleared the Bay, and woke up to the driver shaking his shoulder.

"We're here."

Tim swiped his card in the reader situated on the back of the passenger seat, and reached for his computer bag.

"Thank you very much."

"Have a good day, Sir."

The driver took Tim's baggage out of the trunk, got back into his cab and left.

Tim turned around and took in the house.

The grass and flowerbeds were overgrown, paint was peeling from the old siding, and the roof looked like it had lost a lot of shingles during a tropical storm or two.

_This is going to cost a fortune._

Tim sighed and made his way up the front walk. The porch, he noticed, needed work as well.

_More stuff to buy. Why did I do this?_

He reached into his pocket for the key.

"Oh no... oh come on! How could I lose the key?"

Tim went over to the window on the front porch. He tried it, and thankfully found it unlocked. He slid it open, climbed in and opened the front door from the inside so he could bring in his baggage.

The house was almost exactly how he remembered it. The kitchen was as his Mother had left it twenty-five years ago. The toaster was still on the counter, and an old coffee pot sat on the stove top. He remembered his mother complaining about having to use the pot reserved for camping, when the Admiral refused to buy a new coffee maker.

The living room was still arrange how the Admiral liked it. One couch along the far wall, his father's barkalounger in the corner, and no TV. The Admiral didn't allow it - he'd always tell him to go read a book... that TV would rot his brain.

As he went through each room of the house, doing a preliminary inspection, he experienced a new memory, good and bad. The last place he checked was his old room.

His bedroom door still had his name stenciled on it - his mother's idea. He'd have to paint over that. Inside, nothing had changed. The bed remained unmade, and several dresser drawers had been left open. Children's clothes were strewn all over the room. A science kit lay out on his old desk, with broken pieces littered across the desktop. When he spotted his broken desk lamp on the floor, he remembered one of the reasons why the room had come to be in this state.

*******

_Tim slipped two more stones into the tumbler and turned it on. The rock tumbler was his favorite toy because of the noise it made. He routinely played with it when his Mother and Father were arguing. Tonight, they were having a particularly bad fight, and he was trying to drown them out._

_Suddenly, there was pounding on his bedroom door. He quickly opened it, and Sarah tumbled through._

_"Sarah!"_

_"Timmy I'm scared!"_

_Sarah threw herself at her brother, and Tim hugged her tightly._

_"Mommy is just mad at Daddy again, Sarah. It'll be over soon."_

_The Admiral suddenly appeared in Tim's doorway._

_"Pack your things, Timothy. It's time to go."_

_Tim looked up at his father. The Admiral had a furious look on his face._

_"W-where are we going?"_

_"You are going with your Mother. Right now. Start packing."_

_The Admiral came into the room and picked up his daughter. Sarah started screaming._

_"Sarah!"_

_"Pack your things right now, Timothy, and don't make me tell you a third time!"_

_The Admiral left the room with his screaming daughter. Tim ran to his closet and took out his duffel bag. He angrily yanked his drawers out and threw clothes into his bag. He was half done when his Mother appeared in the doorway._

_"Honey, are you okay?"_

_Tim turned to his Mother with tears in his eyes._

_"I'm scared, Mommy. What's going on?"_

_Ellen McGee enveloped her son in a hug._

_"Everything is going to be fine, sweetie."_

_"What about Sarah?"_

_"She's all right, honey. She's waiting in the car. Are you finished packing?"_

_Tim nodded._

_"Okay, let's go."_

_Tim looked around at his room, and took his mother's hand._

That was the last time he'd seen this house, and the Admiral, for a very long time. He'd learned later on that his parents were to be divorced. He closed the door to his bedroom, and took his luggage to the guest room.

Once he was unpacked, Tim made his way down to his Father's study. He had a lot to do, and the study was where he needed to start. He found the door unlocked, and went inside. The study was neat as a pin, and he expected nothing less.

He sat down at his father's desk, and pulled out a steno pad. The Admiral always kept a full stock of office supplies in his study, though he never let Tim use any, not even for schoolwork.

Tim found a pen in the desk drawer, neatly tucked into the custom compartment the Admiral installed, and started to make a list of things he would need to do. The front porch would need to be stained, and he'd have to hire someone to fix the roof and paint the siding. The bedrooms would need to be cleaned out, and most of the rooms in the house required a new coat of paint. The yard would need to be mowed and there was landscaping to be done.

_I wish the Admiral had hired a caretaker... there wouldn't be so much to do!_

As he thought it, he glanced at the Admiral's address book. A sticky note was attached to the cover.

_Dom Marconi, Caretaker - 410-555-0126_

Tim silently fumed. If the place had a caretaker, why hadn't he been keeping up with the property? He took out his phone and dialed Mr. Marconi's phone number. He was shocked when a woman answered.

_"Hello?"_

"Hi, I'm looking for a Mr. Dom Marconi. Is he available?"

_"Um... he's my father, and he died ten years ago."_

Tim could have head slapped himself.

"I'm so sorry."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Tim was about to hang up, when she suddenly spoke up.

_"Your voice sounds familiar."_

Tim blinked, confused.

"Excuse me?"

_"My father was a caretaker for a lot of old homes in the area. I helped him with his business for years. I assume that's why you're calling?"_

"Y-yeah," Tim fumbled out, nervous about where this conversation was going to go. "I am. I found his number in my father's desk, and decided to call."

_"Would it be forward of me to ask your name? I can go through his things and look up your information, if you'd like. I've been trying to clean up his records for years."_

"McGee. It should be under Admiral John McGee."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. Tim could hear papers shuffling.

_"Here we go. John McGee. Oh my, it looks like my father hasn't been to your property since-oh my God."_

"What's wrong?"

_"Is this Tim?"_

Tim's heart skipped a beat.

"How did you know my name?"

_"Tim... it's Karen."_

**TBC...**


	3. Chapter 3

Tim was silent for a long moment as a flood of memories overtook him. After what happened so many years ago, he thought he'd never see or hear from Karen Marconi again.

_"Hello? Tim, are you there?"_

"Y-yeah, I'm sorry. I uh, I just-"

_"I know." _

"So..."

_"So..." _

Tim chuckled.

"I miss you."

He said it before he even knew it came out. He could honestly say he hadn't thought about Karen in years, but hearing her voice again reminded him of how much he really did miss her.

_"I miss you too." _

The real reason for his call slipped back into his mind, and he re-routed the conversation.

"The house..."

_"Oh right! Did you move back in or are you selling the property?" _

"I'm selling. My father passed away a few months ago, and he left me the house."

_"I'm sorry about your Dad." _

"Thanks."

_"I could help you fix it up - if you want. Obviously my Father didn't do his job." _

"Sure, that would be great. Can we start tomorrow?"

_"Sure. I'll be over in the morning, say about nine?" _

"Perfect. See you then."

Tim hung up the phone and sat back in his chair. He hadn't spoken to Karen in over twenty years. They'd met when Tim came back to Florida after he graduated from high school. The Admiral was against the relationship from the start, and did everything in his power to keep Tim from seeing Karen. It didn't stop them from sneaking around and seeing each other anyway. The end of the relationship was still fuzzy in Tim's mind, but he was sure it'd come to him soon.

His rumbling stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten all day, and his next call was to order himself a pizza. He continued with his list until it arrived, and he dove into it quickly. He washed a plate and brought a couple of slices out onto the back deck. He sat down in one of the Adirondack chairs and stared out at the Bay as he ate. Another memory came forward, and he closed his eyes as he let it play out in his mind.

*******

_~July, 1993~ _

_The waves crashed onto the shore below the deck. Tim sat contentedly in an Adirondack chair on the spacious deck. Karen was curled up in his lap, with her head on his shoulder. _

_"I wish we could stay here forever." _

_Tim rubbed her back sensually. _

_"Me too. I hate sneaking around." _

_Karen raised her head and kissed him. _

_"How long do we have before your Dad comes home?" _

_Tim smiled. _

_"He'll be gone all weekend." _

_"Good." She kissed him passionately and trailed her hands down to his shorts. He fidgeted as she started to unbutton them. _

_"Karen-" _

_"Stop being so paranoid, babe... he isn't going to catch us." _

_"It's not the Admiral. It's just that-I've never done this outside- in the open-" _

_"It'll be fine. Your Dad has a privacy fence around the deck, and your neighbors are 92 and 95, and deaf. No one is going to know." _

_Tim started to relax. She was right. He pulled her in and kissed her, and soon, the deck was strewn with clothing. _

*******

He smiled as he ate he last bite of his pizza. Any reservations he'd had about outdoor sex had been put to rest when Karen was done with him that night.

_God, I've missed her. _

When the sun had set behind the Bay, Tim made his way back inside, cleaned up the pizza mess, and went to bed early.

**NCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS**

Pounding on the front door roused Tim. He looked at his phone for the time.

_Oh crap! I overslept! _

He ran to the front door and opened it. His breath caught in his throat when he saw Karen on the front porch. Her hair was long and auburn, and her blue eyes still sparkled. She was dressed casually in shorts and a tank top.

"Karen.."

Tim stood there holding the door, with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Can I come in?" Karen asked with a giggle.

"Yes - yeah, I'm sorry." He stepped aside and she walked into the house. He quickly shut the door behind her.

"When you said the place needed work, you weren't kidding," she said, looking around. She turned to Tim, who was still taking in her presence. "Did I wake you?"

Tim suddenly realized that his hair was a disheveled mess, and that he was standing there in a T-shirt and boxer shorts. He flushed.

"Give me a minute to get dressed."

"Sure. I brought coffee," she said, holding up the tray in her hands.

Tim smiled.

"You're awesome."

"Pants first," she said, grinning.

He smiled and ran to change. When he came back out, he found Karen sitting on a stool at the center island in the kitchen, drinking coffee. He sat down next to her and took the cup she'd brought him.

"Where were you planning on starting?" Karen asked.

"There's just so much to do... I'm really not sure what to start with."

"Why don't we start by cleaning the house and packing things away? Once we get stuff out of the way, we can lay down tarp and start painting."

Tim didn't respond. He was looking down at his coffee, tracing the lid with his finger.

"Are you listening to me?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm sorry."

"Do you need more time before we get started?"

Tim took a long sip of his coffee.

"No. The sooner this place is finished, the better. The mortgage is only paid up until the end of summer. I want to get it on the market and hopefully sold by then."

Karen's smiled turned into a disheartened frown.

"What?" Tim asked.

"Why are you always in such a hurry to leave this place?"

"It's complicated."

"It's always complicated with you, Tim. When is it ever _not _complicated?"

Tim stood up and faced her.

"I didn't ask for my Father to leave me this place. I don't really want to be here. I just want to fix the place up and get rid of it."

"Is that the only reason I'm here?" Karen asked, raising her voice. "You're just _hiring_ me?"

"What? No! You offered-"

"I offered as a friend. Obviously that's not what you were thinking."

Karen got up and headed toward the front door. Tim sighed and went after her.

"Karen, wait! I-"

She whipped around to face him.

"What is it?"

A silly grin suddenly formed on Tim's face.

"What's so funny?" she asked, still angry.

"You're hot when you're angry."

A smile crept onto Karen's face.

"Ah ha, I knew that would make you smile," Tim said. "I'm sorry for lashing out at you."

Karen started giggling.

"I can't believe that line still works for you after twenty-one years."

Tim grinned.

"It never fails."

She took a step closer, and slipped her hand into his.

"I missed you, Tim."

Tim pulled her in for a hug.

"I missed you too."

**TBC...**


End file.
